While the hiring of former Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart as the school’s new head coach in 2016 almost immediately transformed the Georgia Bulldogs into perennial powerhouses, Georgia will enter the upcoming 2019 regular season with a couple of simple goals in mind. The first would be, finally getting past the perennially-powerful Crimson Tide to claim the SEC Championship – and oh yeah, getting back into the four-team College Football Playoff. With the 2019 regular season quickly approaching, I’m going to share a bunch of insightful information about the Bulldogs in an effort to help you cash in consistently on the Dawgs all season long.
Georgia Bulldogs 2019 College Football Season Betting Guide
Betting Statistics
- ATS: 11-3 (W-L) / 8-6-0 (ATS) / 6-4-0 (Home) / 2-2-0 (Away) / 8-4-0 (Grass) / 0-2-0 (Turf)
- O/U: 6-6-2 (W-L) / 2-6-2 (Home) / 4-0-0 (Away) / 5-5-2 (Grass) / 1-1-0 (Turf) / 57.1 (Total)
Georgia had a solid 2018 season that saw them win an impressive 11 games. The Bulldogs were a solid, but not outstanding, ATS pick as well by covering the chalk a whopping six times at home. The longtime SEC resident also went a dead-even 6-6-2 against their Over/Under total odds while going a perfect 4-0 O/U on the road.
2018 Team Leaders
- Touchdowns: D’Andre Swift (13)
- Rushing: D’Andre Swift (1049)
- Passing: Jake Fromm (2761)
- Receiving: Riley Ridley (570)
- Interceptions: Deandre Baker (2)
Georgia has an outstanding running back in gifted junior D’Andre Swift. The sure-fire NFL prospect rushed for a team-high 1,049 yards on just 163 carries last season and should be even better in 2019 with more touches. The Bulldogs also have another fine NFL prospect in junior quarterback Jake Fromm. The accurate signal-caller completed a blistering 67.4 percent of his passes while throwing for 2,671 yards with 30 touchdowns and just six interceptions. Senior wide receiver Riley Ridley had 43 catches for a team-high 559 yards and nine scores while senior cornerback Deandre Baker recorded a team-high two interceptions. All of Georgia’s 2018 team leaders are back in 2019 excepted for the graduated Baker.
Offense
- Total Yards: 466.1 / Rank 19
- Passing Yards: 226.9 / Rank 70
- Rushing Yards: 239.2 /Rank 16
- Points Scored: 37.9 / Rank 14
- Field Goal %: 82.6 / Rank 23
Led by Fromm and Swift, Georgia was quite potent offensively in finishing the 2018 campaign ranked 19th overall, 70th in passing, a stellar 16th in rushing and even more impressive 14th in scoring (37.9 ppg).
Defense
- Total Yards: 314.3 / Rank 13
- Passing Yards: 180.3 / Rank 13
- Rushing Yards: 134 /Rank 31
- Points Allowed: 19.2 / Rank 15
- Field Goal %: 83.3 / Rank 112
As good as the Bulldogs were offensively, they were even better on defense in closing out the 2018 campaign ranked 13th in total defense, an identical 13th against the pass, 31st against the run and a stellar 15th in points allowed (19.2 ppg).
Outlook
One of the first things you need to know about Georgia as they get set for the 2019 regular season is the fact that Kirby Smart has now produced three consecutive Top 3 recruiting classes and that basically means Smart is going to have a bunch of elite talent to replace the talent the program loses on an annual basis. Just this past offseason, Smart and the Bulldogs landed six five-star recruits, as well as this year’s top junior college recruit in defensive lineman Jermaine Johnson.
Another good thing that the SEC title hopefuls have going for them is the fact that Jake Fromm will no longer have to look over his shoulder despite being a two-year starter. Former five-star recruits Justin Fields and Jacob Eason have transferred to Ohio State and Washington respectively. Fromm is one of the nation’s top NFL quarterback prospects, so he should be going all-out to raise his draft stock. In addition to that, I also believe running back D’Andre Swift is a player that could challenge for some national awards, not to mention the fact that the Bulldogs also have an experienced offensive line that will provide great pass protection while consistently opening up holes for Swift to maneuver through.
While there are some question marks at wide receiver, tight end, cornerback and along the defensive line and some inexperience at linebacker, the fact of the matter is that Kirby Smart has employed the same program-building tactics as Nick Saban at Alabama. Play some powerful defense, run the ball down our opponents throats and pass it just enough to keep defenses honest.
I’m thinking the Dawgs should be able to run the table at home with their toughest matchup coming against Notre Dame in Week 4. If Georgia can avoid road upsets against Florida and Auburn, they could possibly finish the 2019 season unbeaten, although I am expecting one, inexplicable, head-scratching loss. I’m expecting another double-digit winning season out of Georgia in 2019, but when it comes to the Dawgs taking down Alabama, I’m still not seeing that come to fruition and neither should you.
